Nubs - The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine and a Miracle - Kirby Larson, Mary Nethery, and Maj. Brian Dennis

I am a huge Kirby Larson fan, so when I recently saw she had a another book out, even though it was a picture book and wouldn't probably fit at our library, I had to check it out. It's a very sweet and almost unbelievable story.

Nubs, the dog you see pictured here (see how his ears have been cut off - that's why he's called Nubs), is from Iraq! Major Brian Dennis, a Marine serving over there, found Nubs - or maybe Nubs found him - and the two became friends. But soldiers aren't allowed to have pets, so Major Dennis had to leave Nubs behind when his unit went off on missions. Nubs was always waiting for him when he returned. But the really unbelievable part is this: when the major's unit moved to a camp 70 miles away the dog followed him! It took him two days, and he was in bad shape when he arrived, but he found his friend. Everyone says Marines are loyal, and apparently so are their dogs!

This unexpected and amazing behavior led Major Dennis to adopt the dog, even though he wasn't supposed to. But the military has its rules, and someone found out and told him he had to get rid of the dog. Instead, he started a campaign to raise enough money to fly Nubs to the US where they'd be reunited when he returned. It worked!

The story is told in text, photographs, emails, and dotted line maps showing Nubs's journeys, This is an adorable and inspiring story that animal lovers especially will love. Available at the Multnomah County Library.

And I have more news, too! Kirby Larson has a new YA book coming out soon, and she just emailed me (right while I was typing this review - isn't that kinda crazy?) saying she's sending me a preview copy! Yippee!!! Look for another Kirby Larson review coming your way soon!